82-595: Banbridge was a local government district in Northern Ireland . The district was one of 26 council areas formed on 1 October 1973, following the implementation of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 . The headquarters of the council were in the town of Banbridge . In April 2015, most of the Banbridge district was included in the merged Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon district. Some smaller areas in
164-495: A DEA has one councillor for each ward it has. Likewise, parliamentary constituencies (and thus, Assembly constituencies) are always made up of combinations of electoral wards. Electoral wards are also used in allocating funding, such as for urban regeneration programmes under the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy. [REDACTED] This table shows number of councillors by party, election, and district, based on
246-680: A Northern Ireland average of £8.44, putting the council at fifth from the bottom of Northern Ireland's 26 local authorities . The two main arts venues in the area of the former district are the Iveagh Cinema and the F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Studio. The £3-million cinema, which opened in May 2004, is home to a 300-seater screen that was specially designed and built to double up as a theatre facility for live performances, plays, and arts events. The F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Studio, opened in September 2008, houses
328-415: A conservative estimate of the vibrancy and diversity of social capital in the local area as the council's directory of community groups and sports clubs included some but not all of the many different youth, sports, and other types of groups and clubs that met under the auspices of local churches. Local government funding for the arts in the district was comparatively very low. In the financial year 2003–2004
410-536: A four-year term of office under the single transferable vote (STV) system. Elections were last held on 18 May 2023 . To qualify for election, a councillor candidate must be: In addition, they must either: The results of the three elections held since the introduction of the 11 new districts in 2014-15 are as follows. The districts are combined for various purposes. In the Eurostat Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS), Northern Ireland
492-582: A good transport route from the Tyrone coalfields to Dublin could result in the city becoming self-sufficient in coal, rather than having to rely on imports from Great Britain, which were often intermittent, the canal was approved by the commissioners. Work did not begin immediately, as Thomas Burgh was Surveyor General, and he had interests in the collieries at Ballycastle, which would be affected by Tyrone coal becoming more generally available. Burgh died in 1730, to be succeeded by Edward Lovett Pearce , and work began on
574-630: A life expectancy of 78.1 for males (Northern Ireland average was 79.3). According to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency , in 2010 the district had a total of 12 GP practices with a total 31 GPs serving 54,956 registered patients, resulting in an average GP list size of 1,773, compared to the Northern Ireland average of 1,608. The district had its own hospital, located in Banbridge, until December 1996 when inpatient services were ended. Craigavon Area Hospital now deals with
656-500: A local man called William Gilbert to oversee the work, which was completed by 1741. Legal disputes delayed the official opening until 1742, and a barge loaded with coal from the Tyrone coalfields reached Dublin on 28 March 1742, although the first part or the journey had involved carriage of the coal overland to Lough Neagh, as the Tyrone Navigation , begun in 1732, was far from complete. The Newry Canal has 14 locks, nine of them to
738-481: A more localised indicator of voting preferences than the results in the larger parliamentary constituencies. Under STV , each DEA is a multi-member district, electing 5, 6 or 7 councillors, with all councillors representing the entire DEA. Wards do not have elected representation in their own right, and no election results at ward level are officially recorded or published, besides turnout levels at individual polling stations. The below map shows each DEA numbered, with
820-463: A new sea lock had been built, some 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) further down the estuary, which doubled the size of ships that could use it. The river had been dredged, and the Albert Basin had been constructed at Newry. The Newry Canal also benefitted, with receipts rising to £3,500 per year, resulting from the tonnage carried doubling to over 100,000 tons per year. With the coming of the railways in
902-575: A regional-level authority. From 1921 to 1973, Northern Ireland was divided into six administrative counties (subdivided into urban and rural districts ) and two county boroughs . The counties and county boroughs continue to exist for the purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty . This system, with the abolition of rural districts, remains the model for local government in the Republic of Ireland . (See also List of rural and urban districts in Northern Ireland for more details) Councillors are elected for
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#1732858352717984-850: A second community radio station, called fUSe FM, based in Rathfriland also operated, though for a limited number of days each year. Like all other parts of Northern Ireland, Banbridge District was not unaffected by the Troubles . Between 1969 and 2001 twelve individuals (six Catholic, six Protestant) lost their lives in the district as a result of the Troubles: Patrick Campbell in 1973, Joseph Toland in 1975, William, Elizabeth, and Noleen Herron, and Barry O’Dowd in 1976, Robert Harrison in 1977, Alan McCrum in 1982, John Bell in 1985, Terence Delaney in 1988, and Patrick Feeny and Loughlin Maginn in 1989. During
1066-452: A second, 11-council reform proposal was announced according to which most of the area covered by Banbridge District would be merged with Armagh City and District Council and Craigavon Borough Council . While some aspects of the review of public administration proceeded that will affect the character of local councils in Northern Ireland, for example the transfer of the majority of planning functions from central government to district councils,
1148-536: A single Health and Social Care Board in April 2009. The former health and social services boards were as follows: In June 2002, the Northern Ireland Executive established a Review of Public Administration to review the arrangements for the accountability, development, administration and delivery of public services. Among its recommendations were a reduction in the number of districts. In 2005 Peter Hain ,
1230-438: A small museum at Scarva . The Ship Canal and sea lock were restored by Newry and Mourne District Council. It now provides access for leisure craft visiting Newry. It is suitable for boats up to 61 metres (200 ft) by 10 metres (33 ft) with a draught of up to 3.4 metres (11 ft). Victoria Lock, where the ship canal joins the sea, is tidal, and was automated in May 2007. Since closure, some sections have fallen into
1312-569: A state of disrepair. Although most of the lock gates have long since rotted away, many of the locks themselves are in good condition, being constructed from local Mourne granite. It is now overgrown for much of its length; however, this means that it is now home to wildlife. This includes larger mammals like otters, and the Brackagh Bog area provides habitat for several species which are not found elsewhere in Northern Ireland, including plants, damselflies, dragonflies and 19 species of butterflies. There
1394-521: Is a flow of fresh water along the canal, and good stocks of fish. Coarse fishing for perch, roach, bream and pike is possible on the River Bann, on the ship canal, and on parts of the canal, although the lower sections are choked with weed. The towpath has been reopened and is maintained by two wardens throughout the year. It is now part of the Ulster Way long-distance footpath, and has been incorporated into
1476-528: Is an abandoned canal in Northern Ireland . Opened in 1742, it was built to link the Tyrone coalfields to the Irish Sea . The navigable route ran from Lough Neagh via the Upper Bann river to Portadown (approximated 9 miles), then approximately 20 miles from Portadown via the canal proper to Newry , terminating in the Albert Basin. The canal was closed to navigation in 1949, however its line remains intact and
1558-686: Is divided among 11 single-tier districts known as 'Local Government Districts' (abbreviated LGDs) and formerly known as district council areas (DCAs). Councils in Northern Ireland do not carry out the same range of functions as those in the rest of the United Kingdom ; for example they have no responsibility for education, road-building or housing (although they do nominate members to the advisory Northern Ireland Housing Council ). Their functions include planning , waste and recycling services , leisure and community services, building control and local economic and cultural development. The collection of rates
1640-721: Is divided into five parts at level 3 There were five education and library boards (ELBs) in Northern Ireland. As part of the Review of Public Administration process, the library functions of the ELBs were taken over by a new body, the Northern Ireland Library Authority (branded Libraries NI ) in April 2009. The education and skills functions were centralised into a single Education Authority for Northern Ireland in April 2015. The boards were as follows: There were four health and social services boards which were replaced by
1722-469: Is handled centrally by the Land and Property Services agency of the Northern Ireland Executive . The 11 districts first had their boundaries determined in 2012. Elections were held to the new councils in 2014, and they assumed the powers of the previous councils in 2015. Basic geographical statistics are shown below. Previously (between 1972 and 2015) the country was divided into 26 smaller districts . Each of
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#17328583527171804-698: Is often passed at speed by the Enterprise . The Enterprise runs between Belfast Grand Central. , Portadown then fast to Newry and on via principal stations to Dublin Connolly . NI Railways however operate a service from Newry calling at local stations including Poyntzpass and Scarva to Portadown and additional stations to Belfast Grand Central. 54°21′04″N 6°16′01″W / 54.351°N 6.267°W / 54.351; -6.267 Local government in Northern Ireland Lowercase "d" per here . Local government in Northern Ireland
1886-489: The 1993 election was the last time local government boundaries had been redrawn - between 1993 and 2011, there were 102 DEAs across the old 26 councils, with each council having between 3 and 9 DEAs each. By definition, DEAs nest exactly within the 11 Local Government Districts. However, they do not nest within the parliamentary constituencies - for example, the DEAs of Newry , Slieve Gullion and Cusher all fall entirely within
1968-560: The Clogher Valley Railway to Newry in 1900, but those proposing the scheme realised that the Newry Navigation Company would object to the scheme, and relationships between the canal company and Newry Urban Council were already strained. The railway scheme was thus dropped, after which the promoters and council jointly approached the canal company, with a plan to buy out the company and create a public corporation, in which
2050-506: The Holland , but his work was not of a high standard, and created problems for those following him. Omer ignored the previously planned route, and created a 3.2-kilometre (2 mi) ship canal which could accommodate boats of up to 120 tonnes. Newry flourished as a port after its completion in 1769, as did trade on the Newry Canal, although it was largely grain and general merchandise, rather than
2132-566: The Newry and Armagh constituency , but the Armagh DEA does not - one of its wards, Blackwatertown , falls within the Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency instead. This means there is no exact comparison of local government election results with Assembly/Westminster results. However, comparisons are possible between combinations of 2012 DEAs, and combinations of DEAs/LGDs from before 2014. For example,
2214-512: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland , announced proposals to reduce the number of councils to seven. The names and boundaries of the seven districts were announced in March 2007. In March 2008 the restored Northern Executive agreed to create eleven new councils instead of the original seven. The first elections were due to take place in May 2011. However, by May 2010 disagreements among parties in
2296-524: The South Down (Ballyward, Bannside, Katesbridge and Rathfriland) constituencies. As part of the review of public administration in Northern Ireland begun in 2002, plans were developed to merge Banbridge District Council with neighbouring council areas. According to the first seven-council model, announced in late 2005, it was proposed that Banbridge District should be merged with three other councils ( Armagh , Craigavon and Newry and Mourne ). In June 2007
2378-458: The 11 councils is divided into 7 District Electoral Areas (DEAs), with the exception of Belfast, which has 10 DEAs. Each DEA, in turn, is made up of 5, 6 or 7 wards, with the number of councillors for each DEA equal to the number of wards. There are 80 DEAs in Northern Ireland in total, and the current DEA boundaries were finalised in 2012 , and first used in the 2014 election , with the new councils coming into operation in May 2015. Prior to this,
2460-438: The 17 councillors elected in 2011 were women. At 56 percent, turnout in the 2011 elections was the lowest it had been since Banbridge Council was formed in 1973. In the civic year 2011–2012 UUP councillors Joan Baird and Carol Black served as the head and deputy head of the council. This was the first time in the history of Banbridge Council that the positions of chairman and vice-chairman had been held by women. Elections of
2542-505: The 1850s, the canal went into decline. The railway line from Belfast to Dublin opened in 1852, and ran parallel to the canal for much of its length. Newry was integrated into the system by the construction of a short branch line, and in 1865 a link from Newry to the Ulster Railway at Armagh was completed. Newry prospered as a port, with traffic passing through it more than trebling from 103,560 tons in 1831 to 363,558 tons in 1888, but in
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2624-482: The 2001 census, the population of the district was just over 42,000 and according to the 2011 census this had grown to 48,339. Historically, Banbridge District's economy had its roots in manufacturing (textile/linen and shoe production), agriculture and the retailing/service sector. Ferguson's, one of the oldest names in the Irish linen industry, still operates in Banbridge, and a shoe factory first opened in 1947 and closed in
2706-429: The 2012 Local Government Districts in bold. The inset map shows DEAs in the districts of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Ards and North Down, Belfast, and Lisburn and Castlereagh. [REDACTED] Electoral wards are the basic unit of Northern Ireland's political geography. Since at least 1973, every local government boundary commission has involved the drawing of ward boundaries, then the grouping of wards into DEAs, such that
2788-522: The Bridgewater Park development project, for which Tesco currently has planning permission to open one of its largest stores in Ireland. In late 2010 Asda also submitted plans for a store in Banbridge, with the possibility of creating jobs for up to 250 district residents. In 2006–2008 the life of expectancy of females living in the district was 82.6 years (Northern Ireland average was 81.3), compared with
2870-472: The Community Health Village. This new facility, which will join the already relocated Banbridge Group Surgery, will cost an estimated £16.5 million and be home to around 220 staff. Since the late 1990s more and more attention has been paid both by the local council and residents to enhancing the district's environmental profile. Over the past decade Banbridge district has repeatedly recorded one of
2952-506: The Newry Canal, which have not yet been successful. The towpath has become part of a long-distance footpath and also part of the National Cycle Network . Some restoration has taken place, and the canal has become a haven for wildlife. Parts of it are also used for coarse fishing and as the primary base for Newry Rowing Club. Whether or not the usefulness of a navigable route from the inland lake of Lough Neagh to Carlingford Lough, on
3034-602: The Newry Port and Harbour Authority was created. The canal closed in 1936 and most of it was officially abandoned in 1949, with some in 1956. The ship canal closed as a commercial operation in 1966 and the Authority was wound up in 1974. Two sections of the redundant canal were bought by local authorities, for two pounds each, and the middle section was given to another two local authorities. The Ship Canal has been reopened for use by pleasure craft, and there have been attempts to reopen
3116-445: The Newry Port and Harbour Trust's assets approached the local councils, and Newry and Mourne District Council bought the ship canal and the section of the Newry Canal which was within its jurisdiction for two pounds. Craigavon Borough Council bought the northern section for another two pounds in the early 1980s, and the middle section was given to Armagh City and District Council and Banbridge District Council in 1992. Following
3198-575: The Troubles two bombs exploded in the district, both in Banbridge. The first was in 1982, as a result of which Alan McCrum died. Two weeks before the Omagh bombing , on 1 August 1998, a second car bomb planted by the Real IRA exploded in Banbridge town centre. While this second bomb caused a great deal of structural damage, no one was killed. Scarva railway station is on the Dublin-Belfast railway line and
3280-417: The Tyrone coalfield was discovered, and there was pressure to provide a route for the coal to reach Dublin. A bill was put before Parliament in 1715, for works to improve drainage and the carriage of goods, but failed to become an act of Parliament , and there was a gradual realisation that a local area such as this could provide neither the capital nor the expertise for such undertakings. In order to address
3362-570: The adjacent Newry River , from where they could proceed via Carlingford Lough to the Irish Sea. However the Newry River was restricted in the size of vessel it could accommodate. To enhance the capacity of the navigation, the Newry Ship Canal was constructed, running a further 3½ miles south from Albert Basin to the deeper waters of Carlingford Lough. The Ship Canal opened in 1769, and both Newry and
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3444-550: The canal collected tolls of £2,546 per year, and its reserves rose from £8,520 in 1800 to £28,000 in 1829. If the £57,000 of public money spent on its restoration was ignored, it made a modest profit. William Dawson introduced a private passenger service from Portadown to Newry in 1813, and although he was always asking for the tolls to be reduced, the service continued for many years. Although the Tyrone Navigation had finally opened in 1787, this did not result in coal traffic using
3526-509: The canal flourished. By 1800, the Newry Canal was in a poor condition, and another £57,000 of public money was spent refurbishing it over the following ten years. Closures during the refurbishment resulted in a loss of traffic, which did not fully recover. In 1829, both canals were transferred to a private company, who spent £80,000 on improvements over the next twenty years. The ship canal was enlarged in 1884, to allow ships of 5,000 tons to reach Newry. It reverted to public ownership in 1901, when
3608-648: The canal in 1731. Although Pearce was officially running the scheme, he was busy constructing the new Parliament House at the time, and gave the task to one of his architectural assistants, Richard Cassels . Cassels had escaped from the religious persecution of the Huguenots in France, and had travelled in Germany, the Low Countries and England, where he had studied navigation works, before arriving in Ireland to work for Pearce. At
3690-413: The canal. The importance of Newry as a port declined as Belfast became more prominent, and the ship canal could not cope with the increasing size of ships as sail was replaced by steam. Various engineers were consulted, including John Brownrigg, Sir John Rennie and Alexander Nimmo . All suggested that a larger sea lock was required in deeper water, and that the ship canal needed to be enlarged. In 1829,
3772-439: The coal for which it had been designed. The canal also assisted the development of the Tyrone linen industry and the production of butter for export. Despite its shortcomings, the canal was earning around £7,000 per year from tolls by the 1790s. However, the canal was being run by local people who had taken over the canal after the commissioners were dismissed, and they failed to invest in its improvement or maintenance. By 1800 it
3854-440: The coast to the south of Lough Neagh was considered before the 1640s is unknown, but during Oliver Cromwell 's campaign in Ireland at that time, a survey of the area was made, and Colonel Monk ordered that a navigable trench from Portadown to Newry should be cut. Despite the order, no work was carried out, nor was it when Francis Nevil, a tax collector for the government, made a similar survey and proposal in 1703. Shortly afterwards,
3936-545: The contents of the London studio of F. E. McWilliam , a sculpture garden of McWilliam's work, as well as providing a dedicated gallery space for temporary exhibitions. The district was divided into three electoral areas: Banbridge, Knockiveagh and Dromore, which between them returned 17 members. Elections of the whole council were usually held every four years and were conducted under the proportional representation single transferable vote system. Notably, Banbridge District Council
4018-473: The creation of Northern Ireland's 'super-councils' in 2015, the canal is owned by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMD Council) and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council (ABC Council) respectively. The NMD Council, for example, is responsible for the section of canal from Victoria Lock to just outside Jerrettspass village. The Newry Canal was one of the first of the waterways of Northern Ireland to be considered for restoration. A plan
4100-404: The current set of 11 councils, are shown on the below map. They had 583 wards in total - meaning 583 councillors, representing 102 District Electoral Areas. [REDACTED] The current pattern of 11 local government districts was established on 1 April 2015, as a result of the reform process that started in 2005. The previous pattern of local government in Northern Ireland, with 26 councils,
4182-427: The early 2000s. It employed 600 workers at its height. According to council statistics the district was home to over 1,770 businesses, the vast majority of which had fewer than 10 employees. One of the most important recent large-scale economic developments to occur in the district was the opening of a discount fashion outlet on the outskirts of Banbridge, which currently has 59 different stores. The outlet forms part of
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#17328583527174264-533: The east of the district (mostly those of a majority Catholic Population) became merged with the Newry, Mourne and Down District The area of the former district is in the west of County Down and covered an area of 175 square miles (450 km) of countryside – from Slieve Croob (1,775 ft) in the east to the River Bann valley in the west. It is also the main gateway to the Mourne Mountains , which lie to
4346-525: The entire council were held every four years. The number of seats won by each party is shown below. An election was due in 2009, but this was delayed until 2011 so as to accommodate the completion of a local-government reform programme aimed at reducing the number of council areas from 26 to 11. The proposed amalgamation was abandoned in 2010, and so the 2011 elections returned members for the original 26 councils. In late 2007 UUP Councillor Tyrone Howe resigned due to work commitments. The resulting by election
4428-511: The executive over district boundaries were expected to delay the reforms until 2015. In June 2010 the proposed reforms were abandoned following the failure of the Northern Ireland Executive to reach agreement. However, on 12 March 2012, the Northern Ireland Executive published its programme for government, which included a commitment to reduce the number of councils in Northern Ireland to 11. Newry Canal The Newry Canal
4510-453: The former Southern Education and Library Board area and was home to thirty-one publicly funded educational establishments. This included: three pre-primary nurseries; twenty-one primary schools (of which ten were “controlled” primaries, one was a “grant-maintained integrated” primary, and the other ten were “maintained” primaries); five post-primary institutions (of which one was a maintained secondary, two were controlled secondary schools, one
4592-496: The government agreed to transfer both the ship canal and the Newry Canal to a private company, whose chairman was the Marquess of Downshire . The Directors General objected, as they had not been consulted, and felt that it was wrong to transfer an undertaking that had been built using public money to a private company. However, the company agreed to spend £80,000 on improvements over the following twenty years, and kept their word. By 1850,
4674-410: The highest levels of recycling in Northern Ireland . In 2009–2010, for example, almost 52% of household waste was recycled/composted. In June 2009, a bring-and-buy reuse shop, Restore, was also opened by the local council in an effort to reduce waste in the district. In May 2012 the council beat Warwickshire County Council and Cardiff City Council to win the best Local Authority Recycling Initiative at
4756-457: The interests of the town and port would be adequately represented. The Newry Port and Harbour Trust was established in 1901, and the Newry Canal made a small profit until the First World War . Afterwards, maintenance costs swamped any income received, and the last recorded commercial traffic was in 1936. The Northern Ireland administration had no interest in canals, and a warrant of abandonment
4838-405: The local council spent £1.23 per capita on the arts, which covers arts development and support, as well as spending on theatres and public entertainment. This compared to a mean Northern Ireland per-capita spend of £7.70, putting Banbridge District in 22nd place out of the 26 local councils. By 2006–2007, the mean per-capita spending on the arts by the council had risen to £3.38, but this compared to
4920-406: The majority of primary care cases from the district. In January 2002, the former district council paid £725,000 for the former site of the hospital with the aim of turning it into a Community Health Village. In March 2011, the-then Minister for Health, Michael McGimpsey , approved plans for the start of construction of a new Community Treatment and Care Centre and Day Care facility in the grounds of
5002-482: The more famous Bridgewater Canal by nearly thirty years and Sankey Canal by fifteen years. It was authorised by the Commissioners of Inland Navigation for Ireland, and was publicly funded. It was opened in 1742, but there were issues with the lock construction, the width of the summit level and the water supply. Originally goods from the Newry Canal were transhipped at Newry's Albert Basin onto seagoing vessels on
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#17328583527175084-575: The ninth annual Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management. In 2007 a biodiversity audit was carried out and in late 2007 a biodiversity action plan was published. Like the rest of Northern Ireland, woodlands make up only a small percentage of the former district's land cover (according to the Forestry Commission only 6.5% of Northern Ireland was forested in 2010). In recent years public funds have been committed to improving access to and
5166-642: The plans for local government amalgamation were put on hold. Amalgamation ultimately took place on 1 April 2015. The district was served by four local newspapers: the Banbridge Chronicle (established 1870), the Dromore Leader, the Banbridge Leader, and the County Down Outlook (established 1940). A year-round community radio station, 102.4 Shine FM, was also broadcast from Banbridge. Since 2007,
5248-624: The quality of outdoor spaces, including for example Solitude Park in Banbridge, the Newry Canal Towpath which ran through the western part of the district, and Slieve Croob taking in the Legananny Dolmen and the Finnis souterrain (known locally as Binder's Cove). Given the unfavourable topography, the district was not home to any wind turbines, but it was announced in May 2010 that a biogas site would be built. Banbridge District lay within
5330-497: The railways. In 1884, the company carried out its last major engineering project, when the upper reaches of Carlingford Lough and the lower Newry River were made deeper, and the navigable channel widened to 37 metres (120 ft). This allowed ships of up to 5,000 tons to reach Newry. The project cost £55,000, and was authorised by the Newry Navigation Act 1884 ( 47 & 48 Vict. c. cxxxviii). There were plans to extend
5412-406: The rebuilding of many bridges and locks, widening and deepening the summit level, there were long periods where the canal was effectively closed. The water supply was improved, and the ship lock was restored, but inevitably, closures resulted in traffic transferring to road transport, and it proved difficult to attract it back to the canal, once the work was completed in 1811. Between 1818 and 1827,
5494-434: The same period, traffic on the canal halved from 70,749 tons to 33,500 tons. The owning company was still saddled with debts from the engineering projects carried out since 1829, and coal traffic from the Tyrone collieries had all but ceased. Despite this, there was still some traffic on the canal, most of it passing northwards from Newry, including imported coal, timber and heavy goods, where the canal remained competitive with
5576-507: The situation, the Irish Parliament in 1717 offered a reward of £1,000 to the first person to produce 500 tons of native coal in Dublin and the Commissioners of Inland Navigation for Ireland were set up in 1729, consisting of three high officials from the government, four bishops, and eighty responsible persons, who would oversee all matters concerned with inland waterways. With the hope that
5658-479: The south and is bisected by the A1 route between Belfast and Dublin . The district was formed by the merger of Banbridge Urban District, Dromore Urban District and Banbridge Rural District. In 1993 there was a boundary change, and the Rathfriland area was transferred from the neighbouring district of Newry and Mourne . The other main small towns in the area included Gilford , Loughbrickland and Scarva . According to
5740-561: The south of the summit, which is 23.8 metres (78 ft) above the level of Carlingford Lough. The locks are 13.3 metres (44 ft) long and 4.7 metres (15.5 ft) wide. They were 3.7 to 4.0 metres (12 to 13 ft) deep and each lock was faced with stone from the Benburb quarries early in the 1800s after the original brick sides began to crumble. Despite the manager, Acheson Johnston, having to report to Parliament in 1750 that there were defective locks, water shortage problems and issues with
5822-505: The three local elections that have occurred since local government reform in 2014-15. 'S.' denotes seats. '14', '19' and '23' denote the years 2014, 2019 and 2023. This table does not reflect any notional changes between the 2011 election and the 2014 election. 'Minor Nat.' includes independent nationalists and Aontú . 'Minor Un.' includes independent unionists, NI21 and UKIP . 'Minor Other' includes other independents and Labour Alternative . The previous set of 26 councils, which preceded
5904-444: The time he was known as Richard Castle, but reverted to his original name as his stature as an architect grew. With the death of Pearce in 1733, Cassels became the engineer for the project, which included building the first navigation lock in Ireland. He was discharged in 1736, probably because he was paying more attention to the architectural commissions he had taken over from Pearce. He was replaced by Thomas Steers , who employed
5986-469: The total election results in the Limavady and Benbradagh DEAs from 2014 can be compared with the results of the whole Limavady borough from 2011, as both cover the same area. Similar comparisons are as follows: Note that Erne West is the only DEA in Northern Ireland whose boundaries were completely unchanged between 1993 and 2012. The 80 DEAs are the most granular unit of elected representation, thus providing
6068-432: The towpath is currently part of the National Cycle Network and the Ulster Way long distance footpath. The Newry Ship Canal (opened in 1769), runs approximately 3½ miles south from Newry's Albert Basin to connect with the sea at Carlingford Lough . The Newry Ship Canal remains navigable by pleasure craft today. The Newry Canal was the first summit level canal to be built in Ireland or Great Britain, and pre-dated
6150-495: The width of the summit section, the merchants of Newry were keen to develop the town as a port, and obtained a government grant to build a ship canal to the town. The first contractor, John Golbourne from Chester , was dismissed, and Thomas Omer took over as engineer. The Commissioners of Inland Navigation had invited him to Ireland in 1755, and there is some evidence that he worked on river navigations in England after arriving there from
6232-588: Was a controlled grammar school, and one was a grant-maintained integrated school). There was also a special needs school in Banbridge catering for pupils aged five to nineteen, which lay adjacent to one of six campuses belonging to the Southern Regional College . According to information collected by the local council, over 200 community groups and more than 80 sports clubs operated in the Banbridge District. In all probability these figures represent
6314-574: Was costed in 1980, and an attempt to secure Millennium Lottery funding was made in 1996, but failed due to the lack of matched funding. The proposals involved using the existing course for most of the route, but bypassing the fixed bridges of Newry by using the Clanrye River, which would involve building one or two new locks. Moneypenny's Lock (No. 14), which was named after the lock-keepers who lived there for over 80 years, has been restored by Craigavon Borough Council. Banbridge District Council maintain
6396-574: Was established in 1973 by the Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 and the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 to replace the previous system established by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 . The system was based on the recommendations of the Macrory Report, of June 1970, which presupposed the continued existence of the Government of Northern Ireland to act as
6478-479: Was in a ruinous state, and the Director General took control. Henry Walker, an engineer, was asked to put it back into good order, but was imprisoned and then deported to America for acting fraudulently. John Brownrigg then produced a detailed report of its condition, in which he suggested it would be cheaper to build a new canal than repair the existing one, but his advice was ignored. As the refurbishment involved
6560-460: Was issued on 7 May 1949, which covered all but the Newry town section, which was similarly abandoned on 21 March 1956. Soon the swing bridges in Newry were replaced by fixed bridges, cutting off the canal from the sea, and the ship canal was closed in 1966 when Warrenpoint replaced the port of Newry. The Newry Port and Harbour Trust was wound up in 1974. In 1974, liquidators handling the disposal of
6642-579: Was the first electoral test for Traditional Unionist Voice . Against expectations, the UUP held the seat. In elections for the Westminster Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly the district was split between the Upper Bann (Ballydown, Banbridge West, Edenderry, Fort, Gilford, Lawrencetown, Loughbrickland, Seapatrick, The Cut), the Lagan Valley (Dromore North, Dromore South, Gransha and Quilly) and
6724-633: Was the only council controlled by one party (the UUP ) from its creation in 1973 until the year 2000 when the DUP gained a seat in a by-election in Dromore. Following the May 2011 local-government elections , the UUP retook its position from the DUP as the largest party on the council, winning seven of the 17 seats available. This was one of the few gains made by the UUP in either the local or Assembly elections of that year. Six of
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